Drinking fountain



Nov. 24, 1970 v. MATERESE DRINKING FOUNTAIN Filed Oct. 10, 1968 FIG 2 INVENTOR VINCENT MATERE SE fi wlfi g v ATTORNEYS FIG-1 United States Patent Olhce 3,541,808 Patented Nov. 24, 1970 3,541,808 DRINKING FOUNTAIN Vincent Materese, Trotwood, Ohio, assignor to Mink- Dayton, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 766,528 Int. Cl. B67d 5/62 US. Cl. 62397 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a drinking fountain particularly adapted for installation in a moving vehicle, a cabinet supports a water supply container, and a water line extends from the container through an ice and water chamber to a dispensing valve located within an alcove formed within the front wall of the cabinet above the ice chamber. A refrigeration unit is located within the cabinet directly behind the ice chamber and crculates a refrigerant through an evaporator coil located within the ice chamber below a water overflow line for producing a bank of ice which supplements the ice added to the chamber through an opening located at the bottom of the alcove.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In a drinking fountain as disclosed in Pat. No. 2,725,725, which issued to the assignee of the present invention, a generally rectangular cabinet supports a water supply reservoir, and a water line extends from the reservoir through an ice compartment or chamber to a dispensing valuve located within a recess or alcove formed within the front wall of the cabinet. Chipped ice is supplied to the chamber through an access opening located at the bottom of the alcove so that the water in the supply line is quickly cooled and is dispensed at a temperature preferably between 40 and 50 F.

The drinking fountain disclosed in the above patent is primarily intended for use in a moving vehicle such as a railroad car. Somewhat similar drinking fountains have been constructed wherein the ice chamber has been replaced by a refrigeration unit which is powered by the direct current electricity generated within the railroad locomotive. The refrigeration unit is connected to an evaporator coil which surrounds the reservoir so that the drinking water stored within the reservoir is cooled to within the desired temperature range. It has been found, however, that the refrigeration unit does not provide for quickly cooling the water within the reservoir, and that frequently the railroad car is disconnected from the locomotive, causing the power supply to the refrigeration unit to be disconnected. As a result, the temperature of the drinking water within the reservoir quickly increases.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to an improved drinking fountain of the general type disclosed in the above patent which will provide for cooling a supply of drinking water by either adding chipped or crushed ice to an ice chamber and/or forming an ice bank within the chamber on an evaporator coil connected to a refrigeration unit located within the cabinet. Thus the drinking fountain of the invention provides the features of quickly cooling a supply of drinking water and of maintaining the supply of cool water for a substantial length of time after the electrical power supply to the refrigeration unit has been disconnected.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a drinking fountain includes a cabinet which supports a water supply reservoir connected by a water supply line to a dispensing valve located within an alcove formed within the cabinet. An insulated ice chamber is formed within the cabinet under the alcove for receiving ice through the bottom of the alcove, and the water supply line includes a coil located adjacent the bottom of the ice chamber. An overflow pipe determines a predetermined maximum water level within the ice chamber, and an evaporator coil extends within the ice chamber below the water level. The evaporator coil is connected to a motor driven compressor unit which is located rearwardly of the ice chamber and generally within a U-shaped condenser coil extending adjacent the lower portion of the rear and side walls of the cabinet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the fountain shown in FIG. 1 with a side portion broken away; and

FIG. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic section taken generally on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The drinking fountain shown in the drawing includes a generally rectangular cabinet 10 having a front wall 12, a left side wall 14 and a rear wall 16 including a removable lower panel 17. A removable panel 18 forms the right side wall of the cabinet, and each of the walls includes a lower base flange 19 for securing the cabinet 10 to a floor. The cabinet 10 also includes a top wall 20 which supports a generally cylindrical tank or reservoir '22, and a resilient annular seal 23 extends around the upper portion of the reservoir 22 for supporting an inverted jug or bottle 25 providing a source of drinking water within the reservoir 22.

An ice container or compartment 30 is located within the lower portion of the cabinet 10 adjacent the front wall 12 and includes spaced inner and outer walls 32 and 34 which define an open top ice chamber 35 of rectangular configuration. Insulation material 38 is confined within the space between the inner and outer walls 32 and 34 of the compartment 30. An alcove 40 is formed within the front wall 12 of the cabinet 10 directly above the ice compartment 30', and a perforated cover 42 forms the bottom wall of the alcove 40 as well as a cover for the ice chamber 35. The holes within the cover 42 permit water to drain from the alcove 40 and into the chamber 35, and the cover 42 may be removed from the alcove 40 for adding chipped or crushed ice to the chamber 35.

A water dispensing valve 45 is located within the upper portion of the alcove 40 and is connected by a water line 46 to the bottom of the reservoir 22 which is slightly higher than the valve 45 to provide a gravity fiow system. The water line 46 extends downwardly from both the reservoir tank 22 and the dispensing valve 45 into the ice chamber 35 and includes a heat exchange coil 48 located adjacent the bottom inner wall of the ice con1- partment 30.

An overflow line 50 extends vertically between the rear inner and outer walls 32 and 34 of the ice compartment 30 and includes an upper portion 52 which projects into the ice chamber 35 to provide a maximum water level 53 within the chamber. The lower end of the overfiow line 50 is connected to a drain line (not shown), and drain lines 55, each having a valve 56, provide for draining water from the chamber 35 and the water supply line 46 when the valves 56 are opened by turning respective control knobs 58 located adjacent the lower portion of the front wall 12 f the cabinet 10.

A refrigeration unit 65 is located within the lower portion of the cabinet rearwardly of the ice compartment 30 and includes a hermetically sealed motor driven compressor unit 66 and a generally U-shaped condenser coil 68 which extends partly around the compressor 66. A pair of upper and lower straps 69 (FIG. 1) are secured to the side outer wall 34 of the ice compartment 30' and support the condenser coil 68 so that the coil extends adjacent the rear panel 17 and the lower portions of the side walls 14 and 18.

A generally rectangular evaporator coil 70 is located within the ice chamber 35 adjacent the front inner wall 32 and is connected by a liquid refrigerant supply line 72 and a return line 74 to the compressor unit 66. As shown in FIG. 2, the lines 72 and 74 extend over the rear walls 32 and 34 of the ice compartment 30, and the refrigerant supply line 72 is wrapped around the return line 74 to elfect heat transfer from the return line 74 to the supply line 72. A thermostat 75 is secured to the lower end of the evaporator coil 70 and is connected to control the refrigeration unit 65.

The motor-compressor unit 66 incorporates an AC motor so that the unit can be hermetically sealed to provide dependable service for a long period of time. Thus when the drinking fountain is installed in a railroad car, Which is usually provided with a 74 volt DC power supply, a control box 80* enclosing an inverter and a transformer '82 are mounted on the rear wall 16 of the cabinet 10 above the refrigeration unit 65. The inverter and transformer are effective to convert the 74 volt DC power supply to a suitable AC power supply for operating the motor-compressor unit 66, for example, a volt, 60 cycle power supply. The box 80 also encloses the controls which are actuated by the thermostat 75 for operating the compressor unit 66. To provide for air circulation through the cabinet 10 for cooling the condenser coil 68 and the compressor unit 66, a screened vent 85 is formed within the upper portion of each of the side walls 14 and 18 and the rear wall 16.

To obtain cool drinking water from the water fountain immediately upon startup, water and crushed ice are added to the chamber 35 after the cover 42 is removed until the ice water solution reaches the overflow level 53. The ice water solution produces immediate cooling of the drinking water passing through the line 46 as a result of the coil 48 being immersed in the ice water. After the ice added to the chamber 35 melts and the water within the chamber begins to rise above 32 F., the thermostat 75 energizes the motorcompressor unit 65 which causes ice to begin forming on the evaporator coil 70. The compressor unit operates until an ice bank 90 of substantial size forms on the coil 70. When the ice bank reaches a sufi'icient size to lower the temperature of the water within the chamber 35 to approximately 32 F., the compressor unit 65 stops and is not reenergized until the temperature of the water adjacent the thermostat 75 begins to increase above 32 F.

An important feature of a drinking fountain constructed in accordance with the invention is that the formation of the ice bank 90 within the water contained within the chamber 35 provides for cooling the drinking water dispensed from the valve 45 long after the power to the motor-compressor unit 66 is disconnected. Thus when the railroad car is disconnected from the locomotive or the electrical power supplied fails, cool drinking water remains available until the ice bank 90 has completely melted. For example, according to one test with an environmental temperature of 90 R, an ice bank remained on the evaporator coil for over seven hours after the power supplied to the motor-compressor unit 66 was disconnected and even though one pint of drinking water was removed from the dispensing valve 45 every fifteen minutes. Another advantage is that chipped or crushed ice may be added to the chamber 35 to provide for immediately cooling the drinking water during initial startup or to provide a supply of drinking water should the electrical power supply be disconnected or fail for a period of more than seven or eight hours.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved drinking fountain adapted for use on a vehicle, comprising a cabinet, means mounted on said cabinet for receiving a supply of water, insulated wall means within said cabinet defining a chamber for receiving ice, means defining an opening within the top of said chamber for adding ice and water to said chamber, means for establishing a predetermined water level within said chamber, a water dispensing valve supported by said cabinet, a water line connecting said water receiving means to said dispensing valve and including a coil positioned within said chamber below said water level, an evaporator coil positioned within said chamber, a refrigeration unit positioned within said cabinet laterally adjacent said insulated wall means defining said chamber and including a motor driven compressor connected to said evaporator coil for circulating a refrigerant therethrough, and said evaporator coil extending below said water level for producing a bank of ice within said chamber to supplement the ice added to said chamber for cooling the water within said line.

2. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein said refrigeration unit includes an alternating current motor for driving said compressor, and an inverter-transformer unit located within said cabinet above said refrigeration unit for converting a direct current voltage electrical power supply to an alternating current voltage power supply for operating said motor.

3. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein said cabinet is generally rectangular in cross-sectional configuration and includes opposing front and rear walls and opposing side walls, said chamber being positioned adjacent said front wall, and said refrigeration unit being positioned adjacent said rear Wall.

4. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 3 wherein said refrigeration unit includes a generally U-shaped condenser coil extending partly around said compressor and adjacent said side and rear walls.

5. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 3 wherein said cabinet includes an alcove portion supporting said dispensing valve above said ice chamber and a removable cover for said chamber and forming the bottom of said alcove, and said evaporator coil being generally rectangular in configuration and positioned in the forward portion of said chamber.

6. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 5 including an inverter transformer unit positioned behind said alcove portion of said cabinet adjacent said rear wall and above said refrigeration unit.

7. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein said Water line coil is located below said evaporator coil.

8. A drinking fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein said means defining said ice chamber includes an insulated wall located between said chamber and said refrigeration unit, and an overflow pipe extending downwardly within said insulated wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,856,982 5/1932 West 62-397 2,725,725 12/1955 Materese et a1. 62-397 6 2,926,504 3/ 1960 Hellinger 62-457 X 3,156,101 11/1964 McGuffey 62-430 X 3,270,520 9/1966 Geisler 62-393 X 5 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner U.S.C1.X.R. 

